On June 29, I drove into downtown Birmingham for the first time in fourteen weeks. Fourteen weeks. When I left that Wednesday in March, I had no idea how long it would be before I returned. I left to meet Polly at the pediatrician and learned she needed daily shots for three consecutive days, to kick a severe ear infection. I grabbed what I thought I needed for the weekend, only to learn it might be weeks (ha!) before we opened our offices again. Courts cancelled our proceedings, attorneys worked from home, and my workload got consistently smaller as the spring and summer passed me by. I knew I might never have such a slow season of life again, so I soaked it up and enjoyed every garden morning and every long afternoon nap. When we received word that our offices would resume in-person ...
working mom
On Being a Working Mom
Sometimes I have to fight not to feel guilty about working outside of our home. When I was a newlywed, I claimed to want to be a stay at home mom. I thought that was what you were supposed to want and never considered that it might not be for me. Once we were expecting our first baby, we began to seriously consider our options for childcare. In all honesty, we couldn't have afforded for me to stay at home after a few weeks, but it's one of those conversations you have anyway. One day, Josh looked me square in the face and said: "You don't want to be a stay at home mom." It's crazy to me now, but it took him saying it out loud to realize he was right. I love having children and the time we spend together is cherished. I found maternity leave to be magical, even with the stress and ...